Akatsuki's Day Out
by S.S. Chandelier
Summary: It's one sunny spring day for the residents of Neo-Venezia. Some of them has their day off today, but will a chance meeting change their usual day into a meaningful one? AkariXAkatsuki.


It is one sunny day in Neo-Venezia on spring. One surely everyone can enjoy, However, this somehow doesn't apply to a certain Salamander at first.

**Akatsuki's Day Off**

"Great! I can have a day off today!" I shouted in joy as my superiors gave me a task to go to the city, sending a packet for the city officials. They said that I could have a day off afterwards! This is great!

But I wonder, why the officials didn't ask a Sylph to send it? They could both quickly and easily send this packet to the officials. I gave it a thought along the way, but then again, that thought went away, replaced with the thought of having a work-free day.

I looked outside the window as I went down to the surface. Neo-Venezia never looked better. Yet. . . today's are sure hot. But I'm a Salamander! My passion is burning! This heat won't defeat me in enjoying this day!

"Ah, hi, Akatsuki!"

I... froze... how? That voice. . . I recognized that voice. . . No way, on this station?

I turned to that voice. Yes, it's her! Standing before me, is a Single of ARIA Company, Akari Mizunashi! With her usual twin tailed pink hair, one glove on her right hand which signifies that she's a Single Undine, and the signature uniform of ARIA Company, but without Aria-sachou alongside her.

"Momiko? What are you doing here?" I asked with my usual, rough tone to her. She gently swooped her pink hair down as she answered my question.

"Well, I'm having a day off today. . . and I'm not Momiko!" she answered lightly and smiled to me. What a beautiful smile. . . no! No no no no! Get that mind off you, Salamander! It's Alicia you're after, right!

"Is there something on my face?" Uh oh, this is bad. I had to reply, quick!

"No, not at all. Why Aria-sachou isn't with you?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"Well, he's sick and stayed in home today. Too bad, since it's a wonderful day. . ." Phew, I guess I managed to drive that off.

"Why are you here, Momiko?" I asked again, in quite a rough tone.

"Well, Uncle Postman asked me to drop some packages in the station, and Alicia-onee-san said that I can have the day off after this task! I'm done for today!" she replied cheerfully. That smile. . . No! Get her off your mind, Akatsuki Izumo!

"Well, I'll be going now, I have to take this package to the city officials." I waved as I walked away. She smiled and waved back. I turned my head away from her. Gosh, why it is so hard not to look back to her?

In the end, I can't resist not to look back, and when I do, she's gone. It's kinda disappointing. . . Wait, Why am I thinking about her!

Now then, to the main course. I'm going to the city council to deliver this package.

I'm fortunate that it's not so far. 

"Excuse me, I'm dropping a package from the Island in the Sky." The receptionist greeted me politely and told me to sign a few papers. And. . . done! I'm free to do whatever I'm going to do today!

I'm going to have fun! Hmm. . . should I ask someone? Woody maybe? But he sure is busy lately. And I can't ask Al either. . .

I guess I'll walk through the town and enjoy the scenery. It's spring, so the breeze should be really nice.

Then, I started walking through the districts. The shopping district seems busy as usual, a lot of people going in and out of the shops, sometimes bringing huge bags with them. . .

Hm? Isn't that. . .

No way.

Momiko? Again?

I sharpen my eyes and looked again. Yes, that Aria Company uniform and twin tailed hair definitely is hers. She looked like as if she's having fun looking at an item on display on the shop.

It seems that she didn't notice me yet, it's my chance!

"Momiko!" I shouted as I grabbed both her pigtails and pulled them.

"Kyaaa!" she cried in shock as she turned around to see me. "Akatsuki!" She called me.

"Wh. . . What are you doing here?" she asked me while she grabbed both her pigtails in the front of her body.

"I have nothing to do, so I walked around the town." I replied with what-there-is kind of answer. She looked a bit confused.

"And you yourself?" I asked back to her. She looked more confused than before now, looking to her right and to her left.

"Well. . . I have nothing to do too after dropping the package, so I took a walk. Aika-san is busy having a Singles Meeting on Himeya, and Alice-chan is still at school." She replied while looking down, kinda disappointed, I think.

Hey, what if I took her with me around. . .? No! I **do** feel sorry for her, but I don't want someone to see me and her and going together, I don't want any misunderstandings to happen. I like Alicia, not her.

"I. . . I guess I'm going now. . ." She said to me, carefully and with a really soft voice. She then smiled, a really sweet smile. Then she walked away and waved her hand to me.

I looked at her until she turn in the corner. And then I looked to the glass window which she had been looking before.

The item on display is a ring with a bright blue stone atop of it. It seems to be of her size, too. That's why she is really attracted to it!

Well, I have nothing to do with it, right? After all, it's her business. . .

. . .I felt something bad about this. I don't know what, though. Well, I'll brush it off my mind for now, what left for me is to enjoy this day!

*krrrr!* Huh? Where's this weird voice came from? *krrrr!* Ugh! My. . . My stomach! It has not been filled since the morning! I guess I should look for a restaurant around, huh?

Around the shopping district there should be a lot of restaurants. I just have to look for the one I liked best, and go there.

Ah, here it is! My favourite pizza restaurant! Great, I should be able to fill in here! I strolled down the road toward the restaurant.

Whoa! It's kinda full! Is this the lunch hour? Ah, yes, that's why it's so full. This restaurant is famous around here and among the tourists too, though, so I cannot blame them for being so full.

I asked the waitress if there was an empty table around. And yes, there is one empty table! It is located quite deep in the restaurant, a spot that is famous for couples, I heard. It is two end tables merged into one, next to a window with a view directly to the canal which serves as the main route of transportation in this Neo-Venezia.

Well, it does not matter! I'm going to eat a lot today! I ordered a huge Margherita Pizza, all for myself! Hahahahaha! I'm going to go all out in this sunny day!

"Sir, excuse me."

Hm? Now what? I looked upside and saw the waitress waving to me, it seems like she wanted to get my attention. Well, she got it now. What did she wanted to do?

"I'm sorry, sir, the restaurant is really full and there is another guest here. Could you spare one of your tables for this guest?"

Well, I guess it's okay, since this table of mine is. . . What the. . .? As the waitress moved aside, I can see who is the guest she is talking about. It's Akari Mizunashi, AGAIN!

"Akatsuki?" she looked at me with a confused look on her face. Hey! Don't put up such a face! I'm the one who should look at you with such a face! How could we bump into each other, three times in this day!

"I knew it!" I shouted as I pointed at her with my index finger. She looked surprised.

"W. . . what are you talking about, Akatsuki?" She asked while raising both her hand to the front of her body. As if she wanted to block my incoming attack, though I wont do such a thing.

"You must be stalking me, right!" I said what I think. Yes, this must be it. She must be stalking me. If not, there is not any reason for us to meet three times in a really short amount of time!

"Wh. . . what are you talking about? I'm here after I bought a few ingredients for the dinner. I haven't ate lunch, so I came by here, but it's so crowded. . ." She replied as she stared at the floor, she seems to be kinda sad, though I don't understand why.

"Aaaaahhhh, you're such a pain." I finally sat again at my chair. She was frozen in her place, standing with both her hands holding a bag of food.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked again. She raised her head and looked at me. "Sit down."

As quickly as I finished my sentence, she looked so happy. I can see both her blue eyes looking at me with gratitude. Well, that kind of situation is not something I can ignore of, and she's a girl, after all. As a man, I must help a girl with anything I can! And I might get closer to Alicia if I get closer to Akari, right?

"Take some if you want." I offered her some of my pizza. She smiled, a really...really sweet smile... Huh? Why did I feel kinda hot? Weird.

She took a portion of the pizza and started eating it. Think about it, it's kinda weird that I bumped into her quite a lot of time today.

She looked so happy, eating the pizza and glanced outside every few bite.

"Ah, hi! Woody!" she waved outside the window. Huh? Woody? I looked outside. Yes, there he is. It seems that he's busy, judging from the great amount of items he's carrying today on his 'fish'.

"Hi, Akari! And hi too, Akatsuki? What are both of you having together, lunch?" Woody asked. Akari nodded happily, and smiled.

"I see, Akatsuki, take good care of her, okay?" Huh? What!

"What are you talking about? We just coincidentally meet here!" I shouted. But Woody just replied with a thumb and "I got to go! See you around!" and left both of us.

By the time I realized it, I was standing, both my hands at the top of the table, and my head felt kinda dizzy after all that shouting. I was lucky that it's so noisy inside the restaurant that no one noticed me other than the people outside of the window, and Akari.

"*chuckle*" I can heard Akari giggling, I turned my head to her, and yes, she's giggling.

"Now what. . .?"

"You're funny, Akatsuki! Ahahahahaha!" It seems like she can't hold it. She exploded with laugh.

"What's so funny anyway!" I gritted my teeth and glared at her.

"Sorry! But. . . " She took a tissue paper and moved her hand to me, really near to me, then she wiped my cheeks. Huh? Is there a piece of pizza on my cheek? That's it! And she laughed like it was something really funny. . .

"Sorry. . . It's been a while since I'm around without Aria-sachou. . . so I'm kinda sad back there. Thanks to Akatsuki, I felt alive once more." there she smiled again. Jeez, what's with this smile-all-the-time girl? She checked the time and looked a bit surprised.

"Um, I guess I should go. . .Alicia-onee-san must be waiting for these ingredients. I'll pay for the food too. . ." Uh? I thought she said that she was free from errands today after dropping that package.

"No. I'll pay for all of it. Just go." I insisted. I looked at her with a 'rejecting buts stare'. She looked at me, softly and gently.

"Thank you, Akatsuki. You're a really good guy." She smiled again. "See you around, Akatsuki!" She waved with one of the hands with the lighter bag.

. . . See you around too. . . Momiko. . .

Somehow I can't get that smile off my mind. Even after finishing my pizza and walked around, I'm still unable to forgot that smile.

Well, I'm not in that blazing mood to go anywhere right now. . . Should I just head back home? But there's still so many time, and it'll be boring if I went straight to home.

I guess I'll head to Piazza San Marco. It's not so far, so I can walk from this place.

On one side of the small roads which people can use to navigate around, lies the canal, with a lot of gondola moving through the calm waters. Some of them carry tourists, with Undines guiding them. Some of them carry goods like fruits and porcelains. I walked in the front of the Bridge of Sighs. Watching the scenery of the sea from this place is surely breathtaking. . . I placed both my arm on the bridge.

I remembered something. Not long before, I am forced to wait for my brother at this very place. Yet, all my boredom was erased by someone I met accidentally here.

It was her. It was Akari Mizunashi that I met here. Even though I understand that waiting is kinda fun, but without her, I don't think that waiting will ever be so joyful. It was her who changed everything. It was because she was there, that I can enjoy the time without worrying about trivial things. . .

Yet it's not until quite a long time that I realized someone was watching the sea in the same manner as I do. I turn left to see who was doing such a thing.

Only to see no one but the girl who was inside my mind until a second ago. She's staring at the sea, and does not seem to think about something. I smiled and greeted her.

"We meet again, huh?"

"Huh? Ah, Akatsuki! When did you got here?" She looked really surprised, but yet, she smiled.

"Quite awhile. And you?" I asked again after I answered my question.

"Just now. . .Sorry! The sky took my attention!" Hm? She's saying things I don't understand.

"Look at that!" She pointed to the sky. A halo appeared around the sun. A really rare phenomenon to happen here in Neo-Venezia. A Halo is a phenomenon where the elements of water refracted the colors of the sun in a circle around it, creating a circle of light or rainbow-like colors around the sun. But this time, it's a clear light blue circle appeared as the halo. I never saw something like this. Maybe one of the Salamander made this? I looked back to Akari. She looked really excited.

"I thought you have to get the ingredients to Alicia-san?"

"She asked me to go to Piazza San Marco to get coffee beans from the cafe there." she replied, again, cheerfully. I glanced at her smile, which I no longer had resistance from. I kept looking at her, and she looks kinda confused.

"What is it, Akatsuki?" she asked. I scratched my hair.

"Why is it that you're so carefree about things?"

She tilted her head, thinking, I think. After awhile, she answered my question.

"Because, there's so many good things in this world! So to see them and not being glad, would be really bad. Just like now, because I met Akatsuki, I can enjoy this time as it is now. And being in Neo-Venezia, is one of the best things I ever had."

She showed her best smile. I was speechless, silenced by the mere sight of her smile. I looked at my watch, trying to do anything so that she doesn't recognize the sudden change in my attitude.

"Well, I gotta go, I hope you get the coffee beans." I waved to her, and turned back.

"Akatsuki!" she called my name. I turned my head to her. "I'm glad that we met again!" She smiled and waved. I replied that smile with a smile of my own.

"Darn it. . . jeez. . . you're one enigmatic girl. . ." I mumbled to myself. Just now, I thought of something, and walked quickly to the place I wanted to go.

. . . Around half an hour later, I arrived at the Aria Company office. Yes, she's here, I can see her gondola being docked.

"Akatsuki?" I can heard a voice from my back. I recognize this voice. I turned my body. It's Alicia! Oh, man! This is a rare chance! Finally I can meet her! She smiled gracefully and chuckled a bit.

"I'm going to go to the Gondola Association meeting. Akari's inside, so good luck!" What? N. . . no! It's. . . it's not. . . Ah, too late, she's out of my sight. I sighed the whole air outside from my body.

. . . I looked at the building. A two-story building which houses all of the Aria Company Undines, which they only had two right now. A Prima, and one of the Three Water Fairies, Alicia Florence, the Snow White, and a Single, Akari Mizunashi.

I walked to the door, all while gathering enough courage to knock it. I know very well what I wanted to do. I just wanted to. . .

*click!* I can hear the door being opened, and Akari came outside before I even knocked the door. Again, she looked surprised.

"Ooh, Akatsuki! Are you here to see Alicia-onee-san? She's out for a meeting for the Gondola Association."

"No. . . I'm here. . .to see you." That's how I answered the question. Uh, I can feel my face getting kinda warm.

"Really. . .?"

"Yeah. . . I just wanted to give you this. . ." I reached for a small red striped gift box in my pocket, and gave it to her.

"Woah! Thank you very much, Akatsuki! Can I open it now?" she looked really excited, I nodded slightly. She carefully pulled the blue ribbon on the top of the wrapping. As she opened it, I can see both confusion and excitement carved on her face. She then gasped.

"Th. . . this ring!"

It was the ring she looked at before, a ring with a bright blue stone atop of it.

"Try it." I urged her, and she tried the ring. It fits her really well, though she was using her glove at the time.

"Uh. . . Thank you. . . But. . . what's this ring for?" Erm. . . damn, what should I say?

"Uhm. . .it's. . . an old legend from Neo-Venezia that when someone accidentally met the same person five times on the same day, one of them must give the other a present or a bad luck will rain upon them. . ."

There my wild card goes.

"Oh, okay, so. . .I should gave you something as well, right?"

"No, Momiko, I said only one of them, right? I gave you that ring, so it should be enough to counter the bad luck." I insisted on not getting something from her, something I might regret later, but I don't care for now.

"O. . . okay then. Thank you, Akatsuki." She smiled again. With the sunset behind me, her smile was bathed in a light that allowed her to glow vividly.

I think. . .that smile alone was more than enough for the price of a simple ring.

"Well, I gotta go, it's almost dark already." I excused myself. Akari nodded slightly. I walked away from her, and just as I nearly get her out of my sight, I stopped and turned back to see her waving away happily.

I'm glad that I met her today. It would be a really boring day if I had not met her.

-The End-

Author Comments: This is my first true english fic, this is my first true first person fic, and this is also my first romance fic. I guess I'm not good at putting the mood on **yet, **along with the grammar.Ah. . .I hope to create better fics in the near future. . . Please review this fiction of mine! Thanks for reading too!


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